Redboned: Second Dose
by LOrenz0
Summary: Following the Redbone, Lightning is presented with the two paths she could take. She could marry Hope, or repair her relationship with Fang following their divorce, and each choice has its consequence. Is she prepared for either one? Hope/Light, and Fang/Lightning.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So people have requested a follow-up, and this I what I came up with 10 minutes into a lecture.**

 **This project will be separated into 2 one-shots titled "Heaven," and "Las Vegas," respectively, referencing that no path taken can leave anyone happy in the end. Honestly, I didn't mean for this chapter to be that angsty, but it was the only way I could introduce finality into this specific reality.**

 **Think about it as flipping a coin as you move between chapters.**

 **There's one good, and one bad.**

 **One happy, and one sad.**

 **One for those chained with stone.**

 **One for the liars who've forgotten their home.**

 **I just made that up on the spot. Someone make a screenplay out of it.**

* * *

 **Heaven**

Lightning looked down at her watch. _2:54pm._ She slowly parked her car in one of the many empty spaces available. Unlike the person she was visiting, she always made sure to be on time.

The problem is… she wasn't sure said person would take the news. She rehearsed the line repeatedly in her head as she drove down the freeway on her way here. It was a nice distraction from the stressful sessions at her therapeutic clinic, where one patient didn't react well to his medication and threatened her with a fork.

The hundreds of unmoving cars in front of her made time pass slowly as her thoughts ran idly, whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, she couldn't tell.

She took a breath as she looked up at the ornate, government building in front of her. The Parliament. She whispered the practiced line one last time as she walked up the steps.

 _"I'm engaged, Fang. Hope is my fiancé."_

* * *

On her way home, Lightning had a fresh set of words run through her mind.

 _"I'm happy for you, Sunshine! You'll save me a front row seat at the wedding, yeah?"_

 _"I'm sorry things didn't work out between us, Fang..."_

 _"Nonsense! I wasn't expecting anything from you, love," the tanned woman said as she spun her chair in a complete circle childishly. "Come back at the end of the week, you hear? We'll get your bachelorette party sorted out!"_

Lightning couldn't help but to laugh with her. She finally felt the tension fall off of her shoulders.

Truth was, the tension wasn't completely gone. It was only relocated.

 _"I'm happy for you!..."_

Lightning was a militarized woman, even if that was a lifetime ago. Small things like the barely noticeable drop of her eyes. The way her smile dropped ever so slightly. The invisible sigh she gave afterwards.

Fang wasn't fine.

Fang really thought they could repair their relationship after 2 long years, especially given the events of the previous night where they shared an intimate moment.

 _But Lightning was engaged. What else could she do?_

Fang had to take a phone call afterwards, so they exchanged their farewells soon after.

 _"I'll see you soon, Fang,"_

 _"Be seein' ya, Light."_

And those were the last words said before Fang left and Lightning had a fresh conversation to mull over as she drove home.

She forced a small smile onto her face as she parked in her driveway. Hope was probably inside already, waiting for her to tell him about her day.

But whatever happened in the past few hours, he didn't need to know anything about.

* * *

"Claire! Quick! Come down here!"

Lightning groaned as she left Hope's embrace. Her fiancé began stirring as well, only for the voice to shout again.

"Come on! It's an emergency! Please!"

"I'll come with you, Light," Hope said as he began getting dressed. Lightning gave him a reassuring smile.

"It's fine, dear. I've got it."

Lightning glanced at her clock as she walked down her steps. 12:58am.

With a heavy sigh of annoyance, she opened her door groggily. "What is it, Serah? It's past midnight," she said sleepily. It was only then that she noticed sniffling.

Serah was cradling a crying Vanille on her shoulder. "There was an attack just an hour ago. Fang was shot and killed."

* * *

"She was a tough bastard alright," an officer said as she walked in line behind Police Chief Snow Farron-Villiers. "Took out the entire cell before she went down."

"Not the time, Jhil..." Snow said heavily as he knelt down beside the lifeless body.

"Just saying, Chief. I always knew she was good, but not THAT good."

"That was a long time ago. In this universe, she was just a civilian. And we let her _die_ ," Snow said with a bite as he flipped the body over to reveal the crying boy that it was shielding.

"Hey buddy," Jhil said as she took the boy's hand. "Let's get you someplace safe, okay?" she said gently as she lead him to a nearby ambulance.

Snow didn't flinch at the sound of screeching tires, which signaled their arrival. He his eyes didn't move from the lifeless body of his friend.

"FANG!" Vanille shouted as ran to her sister's side, where she could only drop to her knees and cry.

"Serah, please," Snow said, without turning. Serah instantly understood. "Yes, dear."

Serah took Vanille's hand and lead her away as Snow's officers began taping off the area.

"At around 23:30, a group of 24 men launched a siege on the building. Fang was still in her office at that time, but she wasn't having any of it," Snow said with downcast eyes as Lightning stood beside him. "She neutralized all targets single handedly with a kitchen knife, but she wasn't invincible."

Around them, politicians, bureaucrats, and other government officials were all being helped out of the building by police officers and firemen. Military men stood by, watching for further threats. "Fang took 86 bullets, 15 puncture wounds, and severe chemical burns before going down. She died comforting a boy who just lost his mother." Snow roughly sat on the ground. "We came too late..."

Hope walked up, placing his hand on Snow's shoulder while Lightning could only stare at the body that lay in front of her.

Despite the bullet wounds on her body; despite the numerous scratches, nicks, and burns that marred her tanned skin; her hair was a mess, dirt smeared on her face and body, her dress was tattered; despite the dullness that was now held in her lifeless, green eyes,

Fang died with the largest, brightest smile on her face.

* * *

"Thank you all for coming. Oerba Yun Fang was a special individual as we all know," the priest said into his microphone. "She was in every sense and definition, a hero. Fang and her sister, Vanille saved Cocoon from collapsing, together with her friends, they saved our souls from oblivion, and only last week, she, herself, saved the lives of her fellow citizens, giving up her own in exchange. It seems like, even at the end, "giving" was all she ever thought of."

As the priest continued with his sermon, Lightning took note of the millions that had gathered. People had come from all parts of the globe to witness the event, with every foreign dignitary and leader she could think of. Beside her, at the front row of the enormous stage sat the rest of her friends, Sazh and Dajh even making special appearances.

The entire ceremony was held at the lake, where Fang's coffin rested on a funeral pyre. With cameras broadcasting everything on stage, no one could miss the still, peaceful smile that rested on her face.

"Oerban traditions state that only heroes shall have their bodies cremated, so that they are no longer shackled to this mortal realm and are free to dance among the gods. We will honour their traditions. Her only survivor and next-of-kin, Oerba Dia Vanille will send her off. You may all proceed to take one last look."

The crowd slowly made its way on stage, all with various gifts and flowers in their hands. Some offered their condolences to the party, with Vanille receiving the most. Some of them even approached Lightning, offering their condolences to the deceased's former spouse.

It took several hours for everyone say their farewells given the attendance. When sundown finally approached, Vanille stepped forward with a torch.

As her sister's raft was lit, she gave it a gentle push into the horizon.

"I love you, Fang," were the last words shared between the two Oerbans.

* * *

"Fang always loudly proclaimed that "she cannot die," so forgive me if this will seems a little outdated," General Amodar said as he read the document to the others. "This paper was dated 2 years ago and is the only one she ever wrote." They were currently seated in Fang's "government" estate.

Fang and Amador always shared a good relationship with one another ever since Lightning introduced the two, which both became fast friends. Their friendship only grew when Fang took her post at the Ministry of Defence, effectively making her Amador's superior.

"So first things first, to Serah and Snow Farron-Villiers, I'm leaving my entire estate to you both. The Feds keep pestering me to keep it, but I've never had much use for it anyways," Amador dictated from the document.

"Are you serious?" Snow asked in shock. "This thing's worth at least $23 million!"

"It says here that both of you never found a home big enough for your family. She says 10 hectares should be plenty!"

"That issue's been taken care of, Fang!" Snow said to the sky. "But man, it'll feel so much better crashing in a mansion!"

"To my beloved sister Oerba Dia Vanille, I'm leaving every cent I have in my possession. Maybe I'll finally buy you that duck plushie that looks like a chocobo, yeah?" Amador continued, before looking up at Vanille. "Currently, she has $30 million in uncollected checks and bonuses to give."

"I much rather have the person…" Vanille said as she hung her head low, causing Sazh to pull her into a deep hug. Amador rested a hand on her shoulder before continuing.

"To the king of the pilots, my man Sazh Katzroy!" Amador dictated weirdly. "I'm leaving the car collection my good friend Carlos gave me when he died. All I ask for is that you watch over Vanille and water my grave each year. Can you handle that, old man?"

"You got it, Fang!" Sazh said proudly. "You've always wanted a cactus planted by your tombstone, didn't you?"

"To Hope, you never wanted any material possessions from me, and that's fine. Instead, you always wanted me to acknowledge you as a man. Well, here I go. You're a man now Hope, not a kid, and I'm proud of what you've become. All the decisions that you will ever make and its outcomes, it's all on you now. Every once in a while, you'll have to take the good with the bad, and the bad with the good, but that's what being an adult is all about. Just don't let that go to your head, yeah?"

"Damn, right. I'll make you proud, Fang," Hope laughed genuinely. Lightning may have been his mentor, but Fang had his back every inch of their journey. To have both finally acknowledge him, it made him feel complete.

"And finally, to Claire Farron," Amador spoke. This drew everyone's attention. A few seconds of silence passed by. Amador held clear discomfort on his face.

"What does it say?" Serah asked.

"I loved you."

A tear fell as Amador finished reading. All eyes fell on her now, even Vanille's.

"Damn," was all Snow could say.

* * *

Like Lightning had told Fang, she and Hope married later in the year, during the autumn season. She couldn't be angry at Fang, the will was written 2 years ago after all, right after their divorce. It didn't account for their meeting earlier in the year. The one thing that Fang did leave her was her wedding ring, given back to Lightning by the young boy Fang saved several weeks later. When asked if Fang said anything during her final moments, the boy said yes.

 _"Haha, Sunshine... You got me good..."_

Lightning didn't regret anything though. She was happily married to Hope, surrounded by friends and family.

But every once in a while, during those sleepless nights, her mind would wander back to Fang. The last words she ever wrote to her were _"I loved you,"_ and the last words they ever exchanged were _"Be seein' ya."_

* * *

 **A/N: Mha Haert, mah soule.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This chapter is MUCH longer than the other one because I'll explain... well, everything that went differently. Keep in mind that this is in the EXACT same universe as the last chapter. Same events, different choices, different consequences.**

 **This is the other side of the coin.**

* * *

 **Painless**

It's funny how realities work. Ever hear something like the "extra flap of a butterfly's wings" several miles away may have more of an impact than most people would think? I mean, all you gotta do is look at this version of events; the exact moment that could have changed everything.

Funny thing is, Lightning Farron didn't know that yet.

It all came down to a message that she wanted, no _needed_ to tell Fang. A few short hours ago, Lightning had her future well thought out. She had a sense of finality, a moment where it seemed nothing would change even the next milliseconds of the following week.

But Fang always had a knack for keeping her off balance.

So here she was, knocking on the heavy wooden door that lead to Fang's office. Traffic was hell to get through and hopefully Fang could excuse the only time she was ever late to anything. Seriously anything. Fortunately, the security guard at the entrance was kind enough to usher her in from the rain, his reassuring smile instantly eased her mind. It was a rough day in the psychiatric ward.

"Can't kick me out yet, Marvin! I'm still waiting for someone!" the voice called from behind the doors, which Lighting took as an invitation to enter. Fang sat with her face hidden behind a clipboard with her feet kicked up on her desk. _Quite professional for a public minister, Fang…_ Lightning couldn't help thinking to herself.

"Hey."

"Y'know, I never thought I'd see the day you'd be late for anything, love," Fang said as she sat up straight. "Something small like that could change the timeline," she laughed heartily, which was infectious as Lighting found herself chuckling as well.

"Sorry, Fang. Something came up and I went home before I came here," she said as she took a seat across from Fang. As she looked around the room, she couldn't help but to be impressed by the office she was in. Bookcases lined the walls with collections covering every topic she could think of. Mounts of hunted animals hung all around the room, along with maps, and charts.

...and she also had a pool table.

"It's fine, Light. Just glad you could make it," Fang said as she began cramming documents and papers into her briefcase… _very roughly_. Lightning would be very surprised if they were still legible after what Fang put them through. After Fang clipped her briefcase closed, she tossed it on a nearby couch, where the briefcase fell off onto the floor shortly after.

"I did my job. I read them. I've signed them. Not my responsibility anymore," she said as she sat down again, with her feet kicked up on her cleared desk. "Now…uh..." she trailed off awkwardly. "Where should we begin?"

Lightning's mind tracked to the words she uttered just a few hours prior. " _I don't think I can do this. I'm really sorry…"_

"I called off the wedding, Fang. It's why I was late today."

Well, that was... surprising to hear. Fang straightened herself. "Oh." That was all Fang could say. She really couldn't think of any possible response to what Lighting just dropped on her. "I'm… uh… sorry to hear that, Light…"

"It's fine, Fang. I called off the wedding because I've been thinking… about us…"

Once again, Fang found herself speechless. This time, more so than before.

"And what's the answer?..." she breathed. Lightning slowly took Fang's hand in hers, her fingers brushing across her wedding ring. _Their_ wedding ring.

"I'm thinking… maybe we should give _us_ a second chance," Lightning said, now firmly grasping Fang's hand in her own.

Fang found herself leaning closer to Lightning who did the same. "Do you really mean that?..." she whispered. Fang's heart was racing, each beat heavy enough that it threatened to burst Their foreheads touched as they leaned onto each other from across the table.

"Yeah."

And that was all it took for Fang to close the gap between them, capturing Lightning's lips with her own. At first, it was slow with Fang gauging how far she could go with Lightning. It took her by surprise when Lightning picked up the tempo, and soon the table between them soon became a hindrance.

Lightning yelped as Fang crawled over her desk and onto her chair. Separating their kiss briefly, Fang lifted her out of her seat and would have carried her onto the couch… if only she didn't trip over the briefcase.

Both women fell to the ground in a tangle of limbs, but that didn't stop either from letting out a laugh of relief. Claire "Lightning" Farron was Fang's again as she was Lightning's.

"Well that was something," Fang said as she picked herself off the ground. She extended her hand to Lightning who gladly took it. "I've got a few more papers that need some rechecks so I'm gonna stay a bit later, yeah? We'll figure out what happens next tomorrow."

"Don't stay too late or you'll turn out like me." Fang laughed at her statement.

"Can't say that's a bad thing, Light. Would _love_ to be you for a day..." Lightning just rolled her eyes at her suggestive comment as she made her way towards the door. "Hey, wait a second! Do me a favour," Fang called out as she returned to her chair.

"Yes?" Lightning asked with one hand on the door already.

"The shelf to your left. There's a book called the "Ancient Magicks." Toss that to me, will ya?"

"Anything for you," said sarcastically as she began to look through the books. "Doubt they're of any use since we moved to this universe," she commented.

Fang just chuckled. "You never know when a few fairy tales and fantasies will be useful on the battlefield. Gotta study them closely, love."

Lightning was about to shoot out another half-hearted retort, but she stopped suddenly as her eye caught something tucked towards the back of the bookcase. Lightning suppressed a gasp as she realized what it was. _A Beretta M95._

And that wasn't the only surprising thing. Several books she flipped through carried occult symbols and ancient lexicons on their cover. Unless Fang gained a new interest in the dark arts or was in the process of founding a cult, she was _definitely_ hiding something.

"You find it, Light?" Fang called, oblivious to what Lightning was doing.

"Y-yeah," Lightning responded as she finally grabbed what she was originally looking for. She placed the book on Fang's desk, and was about to pull her hand away if Fang didn't take a hold of it first. She planted a gentle kiss on the back of her palm.

"I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?" she heard Fang's smooth voice almost whisper the words.

Lightning smiled softly at her as she turned to leave, but Fang's next words caught her off-guard just as she closed the door behind her.

" _Love you, Light,"_

* * *

Lightning woke up groggily as she heard the heavy pounding on her door.

"Claire! Hope! Come down! Hurry!"

Hope was the first to reach the door, given that he was sleeping on the couch in their living room. Despite what transpired earlier that day, there didn't seem to be any tension between him and Lightning. He even offered to sleep on the couch to avoid any awkwardness still left between the two, something that Lightning greatly appreciated while she tried to figure out everything.

But for some reason, that bothered Lightning more than it should. If neither one of them were too concerned about their cancelled wedding, then how long would their relationship really have lasted if they went through with it? If they could brush off something of this magnitude so easily, what does that say about their commitment to each other?

"Come on! It's an emergency! Please!" _Oh, right. Serah was knocking at her door at… 11:47 in the night..._

"Serah?... Vanille?..." she heard Hope say downstairs as she began to dress herself.

"There's a shootout going on at the parliament building! And for some reason, we can't reach Snow! We have to go!"

 _Wait. Parliament building?_ Lightning froze for a second as panic began to set in. _That's where Fang is!_

"Shit! Isn't Fang their right now?!" she heard Hope yell from downstairs. "Come on, Light! We really gotta go!"

Lightning paused for a few seconds. With a frown, she opened her sock drawer and retrieved the pistol she kept hidden there. She cocked it.

Dkjslaf;jdsa;fdjs;

"Thank fucking God you have my number!" Snow shouted over the gunfire as he and Fang sat behind the overturned table. He took a few seconds to reload before firing over his head. A few bodies hit the ground, but the machine gun fire continued.

"Now why the hell would I have that?!" Fang shouted in return. "I'm just lucky Sunshine dropped her phone earlier!" She stood and fired a few bursts at the assailants before crouching behind cover again.

A smirk grew across Snow's face. "... _Sunshine_ , huh?..."

Fang rolled her eyes. "Can we talk about this later? Kinda dying at the moment, yeah?"

"Bullshit," Snow laughed. "If you wanted them dead, you could have taken them all down by now. Single-handedly."

"Fine then," Fang growled as she stood. She calmly walked out into the open and out of Snow's vision. He heard a continuous spurt of bursts from Fang's beretta and the rhythmic sound of bodies dropping. When Snow peeked his head out from behind the table again, the entire squad was eliminated. "Just wanted to leave some for you. Now let's get going," Fang said as the pair continued moving deeper through the hallways.

"They're here for me," Fang spoke up, catching Snow's attention. "I have something that they want." Fang kicked down the door to her office and motioned for Snow to enter when she saw no threats.

"Whatever they're looking for, I doubt it's worth sending an entire special operations division to get," Snow said. He figured out earlier that the assailants _definitely_ weren't terrorists or insurgents; they were way too organized. The special forces badges on their uniforms confirmed that.

"It's worth sending an entire nation." Fang walked to a bookcase and retrieved a familiar book. _Ancient Magicks_. She flipped to the 237th page and retrieved a set of metallic pins. She tossed one to Snow who caught it. "Put it on."

* * *

Lightning and the crew just arrived to the scene, where several police and military vehicles were beginning to do so as well. They snuck over the line _._

Immediately the sound of gunfire attracted their attention, and Lightning motioned for the two to follow behind her.

"What are we doing here without weapons? This is suicide," Hope whispered. Lightning just waved her pistol at him. "I'm talking about us."

"Just stay close. I'll protect the two of you," Lightning said as they moved quickly through the hallway. They ducked around the corner as several men ran past them towards the sound of the gunfire.

As quick as her namesake, Lightning rounded out and fired upon the unsuspecting soldiers, dropping all but three.

"We have more intruders! They are armed!" she heard one of them say into a radio. " _Special forces…"_ Lightning suddenly realized.

"Surround them," one called out as the squad began moving closer to the corner the trio hid behind. A stampede of footsteps confirmed more men were coming to their location and soon they would be trapped.

Lightning silently cursed herself for not coming up with a better plan. No longer working with the military had dulled her instincts, and now they were being surrounded because she opened fire without thinking.

An ominous feeling passed through them all at that moment, as if the temperature suddenly dropped 30 degrees. Hope took the initiative the peek out first and his jaw slowly dropped. "Guys… you might want to see this…"

Serah and Lightning did as he said, and they couldn't contain their surprise either. Everyone was encased in deep ice as frost began forming over the stone walls. A pair of figures began walking out and their voices made it clear who they were.

"Heard a hero was needed here."

 _Earlier_

" _Put it on?" Snow asked as he examined the pin carefully. "And how would this help?"_

" _I've been researching carefully for the last few months. While I was still giving tour guides of the wild, I came across a rare source of energy in some caves that wasn't from this world. Of course, the government immediately sealed off of the area before I could examine it closer, but I knew exactly where it came from."_

" _And where would that be?" Snow asked as he put on his pin, but he immediately fell to his knees in pain as a familiar part of his arm began flashing red. After a few seconds, he felt a certain flow echo throughout his body as the pain subsided. He felt… energized._

" _Familiar, yeah?" Fang asked as she helped Snow to his feet._

" _You can't be serious..." Snow whispered as he saw his ice form around his gloved hands._

" _Fal'cie energy," Fang said as she clipped her own pin on. "Somehow it crossed over from the old universe into this one. I joined the Ministry of Defence to gain access to the site, and had Vanille construct these pins."_

 _Snow grinned, before a sudden realization hit him. "Shit! Does this means we're gonna go Cie'th?!"_

" _Doesn't seem like it. This universe has an… unusual energy field. The brands seem to feed off of that instead." Fang said. "No focus. No Cie'th. Unlimited power. Well, as long as we keep the pins on."_

" _What about you? Where's your pin?" Snow asked as he realized Fang didn't carry one. Instead of answering, Fang made a show of shooting herself on the hip, in which the bullet harmlessly bounced off. "Been like this since we got dumped here. Never failed a focus, so I guess I'm a special case."_

 _She was right. Fang was the only one of the five who actually completed her focus. He and the others all turned Cie'th before being saved by Etro herself. Gunfire snapped the two out of their thoughts and Fang quickly leaned out the doorway._

" _We have more intruders! They are armed!"_

" _Armed intruders?" Fang thought for a second before smiling. Of course they came. "Come on, Snow! Looks like our Sunshine needs a little saving!"_

"And that's just about everything, Sis!" Snow laughed, as the team began attaching the pins to their clothing.

Hope looked downwards for a few seconds. "Wait… Does that mean?… Is Fang the reason you called off our wedding, Light?..." Hope knew the answer already, but he needed her to confirm it.

"...I'm sorry, Hope," she finally answered.

"It's fine..." he replied. Vanille cradled into a hug as the rest of the party watched on.

"Let's keep moving," Fang said authoritatively as she finished looting the weapons off of the frozen bodies. She strapped the long clips of ammo around her shoulder and cocked the assault rifle. "There's a secret exit not too far from here. If we can make it there alive, we'll be dandy."

"Right," Lightning said as she loaded her own rifle. "Let's go."

The party slowly followed behind Fang as she lead them through the long hallways of the building. With their l'Cie powers again, bullets proved ineffective and they mowed down everyone who stood in their way. Muscle memory helped Lightning regain some of her lost reflexes as she dodged every bullet while hitting enemies with deadly accuracy.

"Hey Fang," Hope whispered as the partly silently crept through the hallways. "Everyone has a pin on them, but you… don't?" Lightning chose to cover and was thus at the very back of their formation. Fang and Hope lead the group at the front with Snow, Serah, and Vanille at the center.

With the spacing between them, hopefully this meant they weren't within earshot of Lightning.

"Fang… is the only one of us without powers," Snow whispered. "Perks of completing your focus," he said sarcastically, but he kept Fang's request in mind.

"Wait! That means she's the most vulnerable out of all of us!" Hope whispered, but louder. "Why is she taking point? She could get hurt!"

"Bingo, kiddo," Fang chuckled. "But I'm the only one here that knows where we need to go. I need all of you to keep them from blowing my head off. You guys can do that, yeah?"

Hope chose not to respond, but instead posed another question. "Fang," he began. "Do you love Lightning?"

Fang paused briefly. "More than anything, Hope," she said at last.

"Then promise me you'll take care of her. She means the world to me, but you also mean the world to her. As long as you keep her happy, that's more than I can ask for."

Fang chuckled. "Not quite the kid anymore, yeah?" she said as she ruffled his hair teasingly, which he let her. "You've got my word, Hope. You've grown into a real man. I'm proud of what you became, but don't let that get into your head now, you hear?"

"Yes, _father_ ," he said sarcastically, to which Fang simply rolled her eyes.

"Hey now, grown men still need to listen to their elders," Fang said as the group came to a dead end.

"We're trapped!" Serah cried out, but Fang just laughed.

"Calm down now, mini Sunshine. We're here." Fang pushed on a particular brick, and a section of the wall opened. "Let's go, guys. I'll cover you," Fang said as the rest of the party ran through the doorway.

"Wait. Light," Fang said just as the last member of the party walked past her. Lightning turned around, only to be caught in a deep kiss by Fang. She melted into it, but as quickly as it began, it was over as Fang roughly shoved her through the exit.

She knew exactly what Fang was doing. "Wait! Fa─" She never managed to finish as Fang dropped a grenade between them.

"Fang!" she shouted, but it was too late. The grenade exploded, sealing the entrance and separated the two women.

"Get out of here, Claire," Fang said, shocking Lightning with the use of her real name. "It's me they want, after all. They won't bother chasing if I stay right here!"

No, this couldn't be happening. There was silence for a few moments and Lightning could only let out a chuckle. A weak and lifeless one. "You'd think after everything we've been through... we'd at least get a happy ending…"

Fang's chuckle caught her attention. Even in the face of death, her voice still managed to sound melodic. "People like us, Claire… we don't deserve happy endings."

The sound of footsteps on the other side amplified the panic in Lightning. "Fang!" she cried out once again as the sound of rifles being cocked echoed through the crumpled stone wall. "I need one last favour from you before you go," Fang said.

"Go on..." Lightning said between tears.

"Tell me those 3 words I've been waiting to hear. Maybe it'll be a good luck charm?"

"...I love you, Fang..."

"Thanks, love. I'll try to survive this one. But if I don't, I want you to know that I love you too, Claire. You got me good," she heard, almost feeling the radiant smile behind the rubble as she spoke. Those were the last words she ever heard Oerba Yun Fang say as the gunfire rang.

* * *

All of you still with me? Good. Well we've officially come full circle at this point. Back at the starting block, the outset, square one, or whatever you all want to call it. Similar to the other timeline, the party solemnly sits around the warm fireplace of home's now deceased owner, with Amador reciting the words of Fang's will.

"To Serah and Snow Farron-Villiers, I'm leaving my entire estate to you you both. The Feds keep…" Amador said, but Snow could hardly listen. He was too consumed by his own thoughts, particularly Fang's final request.

 _The duo silently exited Fang's office as they made their way closer to where Lightning was supposedly. Fang suddenly spoke up. "Snow. No one will know of my l'Cie powers. No one."_

 _That was an odd request to make. "And that helps us because…?" he trailed off a bit confused, but Fang gave him a look that said 'This is serious.'_

" _Alright, alright. You've got my word. The least you can do is tell me why though."_

 _Fang sighed. "I'm... gonna to need to leave for a little while and this attack is the perfect exit strategy. Been hitting some books and I found a way to get back to our old universe, but this job and life ties me down. I gotta find a way to contain the leaking Fal'cie energy before more spills over. Otherwise, we've got some dangerous power going to some dangerous people. Y'know what Fal'cie energy can do." She paused. "By the way, the lot of you's gotta be tired of my antics by now, yeah?" she laughed._

" _But what about sis?" Snow asked half-heartedly. He fully understood how Fang was going to disappear, but he felt powerless to stop it. "If you're going out the way I'm picturing it in my head, I don't think she could handle it. She'll be crushed."_

"G _ive her this," Fang said as she removed her wedding ring and placed in Snow's hand with a folded note. "This'll comfort her for a while. At least 'till I get back."_

"You better c _ome back safe, old woman," Snow laughed as he grasped Fang's hand in a firm handshake. That the nickname he gave Fang when he found out her true age. "You're too stubborn to die after all!"_

" _Damn right I will, Snow Angel. Orphan and Bhunivelze couldn't keep me down, so what makes you think this time's any different?"_

 _The duo finally rounded the corner to flank the platoon that apparently had Lightning surrounded._

"Alright _then. Seeing how you've already committed yourself, got any last words?"_

" _Well, she's not gonna like what I wrote in my will, so I need you to pass a message on for me. Tell Sunshine 'Be seein' ya."_

"I'd rather have the person," Vanille whimpered, snapping Snow out of his thoughts. Hope made his way over and pulled Vanille into a deep hug as Amador rested a hand on her shoulder before continuing.

"And finally, to Claire Farron," Amador spoke. This drew everyone's attention, even Vanille's.

"I've got this, Amador," Snow spoke up as he retrieved Fang's note from his pocket. "Fang wanted me to give this to you before she… died."

"What does it say?" Lightning asked softly. Everyone felt the sadness radiate off of her as she spoke.

"To the most beautiful woman I have ever met. Our time together was short and bittersweet, but it was also filled with passion and I can't recall anyone who've ever made me feel the way that you did _._ And don't think for a minute that our divorce changed any of my feelings for you. Keep your head up, love. Miracles _do_ happen."

Snow then proceeded to tell her Fang's final message, and for the first time since last week, Lightning felt a smile grow on her face. Fang truly loved her until the very end. She laughed with a bright, airy sound, which was soon followed by the smiles of the others.

"I'll never forget you, Fang."

But the story doesn't end there. After all, I did say this thing came full circle, yeah? And at this point in time, you all may be wondering "Who's telling this story? Who's the poor narrator in this one?" Well, let me give you all a hint.

It's a familiar woman, with shoulder-length wavy hair, enchanting green eyes, dressed in a tuxedo, standing outside of the Farron-Villiers residence after spending 2 months in another universe, with a cheap "I'm Sorry" card from the dollar store in one hand, and a velvet rose in the other.

"Ohhhhh, she's gonna kill me…"

 **Fin.**

* * *

 **A/N: Finally finished my first story! (And after being on this site for more than 2 years.) And now you know that there's a happy ending all along. On another note, this was written in the span of 2 hours, with no editing, breaks, or concerns about grammar or sentence structure. With my special bubble tea-gin-redbull mixture, I did this thing all in one take. If anyone wants the recipe, here it is:**

 **Lorenzo's Patent-pending "Heart Stopper"**

 **250ml (or 8.5 oz for those who use imperial) of Chatime's Pearl Milk Tea**

 **1 part Gin**

 **½ part Cointreau**

 **2 ½ parts Redbull**

 **1 part lime juice**

 **Shake well in cocktail shaker with ice, strain, and serve with mint leaves and a form for insurance claims.**

 **Happy belated Valentine's Day, by the way! You can all find me on Instagram at AdrianneHo. I mean, it's not me, but you'll still find me there ;)**


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